Eighty One

Today is a very important day.

On this day in 1996, Reasonable Doubt was born.

Without this album, it is unlikely that Shawn "Jay Z" Carter, Damon Dash and Kareem Burke would have established what has now become one of the most successful American record labels in the Hip Hop and R&B industry. This means there would probably not be any Vol. I, Vol. II or Vol. III. Furthermore, The Dynasty would be non-existant. At this point, Jay Z would have never created Rocawear clothing. More importantly, this means that the 3 Blueprint installments would have never been made. There are serious after-effects of the Hip Hop game without the first two Blueprints. Phenomenal production by Just Blaze and Kanye West in "their" signature sample-style may have not been as commercially heard and recognized. This would've tainted the future career and success of Kanye and artists of the like. Also, the most famous feud in rap history between Jay Z and Nas (and Prodigy) would have never taken place. This would change the face of the Hip Hop game which we know today. And of course this would kill the release of further records - most notably, The Black Album. THIS IS A VERY BIG PROBLEM. No Fade To Black?!?! There would then obviously be no releases of Kingdom Come, American Gangster, and *gasp* The Blueprint 3.

Reasonable Doubt is one of the most influential records of our time. Its presence impacted the music industry through a long list of studio albums, compilation records and collaborative efforts that contributed to bridging society's psychological gap between genres (Collision Course). It founded the basis on which Jay Z built an empire of business and incredible financial success through Roc-A-Fella Records, ROC Films, Rocawear Clothing, and later executive efforts through Def Jam Recordings, Roc Nation, The 40/40 Club and The New Jersey Nets. It paved the way for 40 million copies of albums sold, 10 Grammy awards, 11 number Billboard Albums, and an estimated net-worth of more than $150 million last year alone.

But with all of this fancy information aside, if you've ever had the pleasure of listening to the album in its entirety then you surely have enough reason to understand its importance. So without further ado,

Happy Birthday to a Masterpiece.






... and Rest In Peace MJ.